Theories of Desistance from Sexual Offending

Abstract

The dynamic nature of a sexual offender's criminal career over the life span is not understood fully and we know comparatively little about how sexual offending careers end or de‐escalate. This neglect is due to an enduring but largely inaccurate assumption of recidivism that has permeated many current crime control policies that exclusively target known sex offenders. In reality, most sex offenders (like most general criminals) eventually stop engaging in criminal behaviour. This chapter examines the extant criminological theories that explain desistance from general, non‐sexual offending and discusses the extent to which these theories can explain desistance from sexual offending. The three main theoretical models that are examined include natural desistance (or ‘ageing out’), the attainment of informal social controls (such as marriage and a job), and cognitive transformation.

Desistance From Sexual Offending

“…Each theory is described briefly below and their possible relevance to sexual aggression is discussed. (For a more detailed review of these theories, interested readers are referred to D. A. Harris, in press.…”

Tales from the Trenches: Zooming in on the Process of Desistance from Sexual Offending

“…Below, each theory is described briefly and its possible relevance to sexual aggression is discussed. (For a more detailed review of these theories, interested readers are referred to Harris, 2014a).…”

Desistance From Sexual Offending: Behavioral Change Without Cognitive Transformation

“…Four theories of internal desistance were considered: Giordano et al's (2002) theory of cognitive transformation; Prochaska, DiClemente, Velicer, and Rossi's (1993) transtheoretical stages of change; Maruna's (2001) narrative theory; and Paternoster and Bushway's (2009) identity theory of desistance. A thorough examination of each theory is beyond the scope of this work, and interested readers are directed elsewhere for more detail on each specific theory (see Harris, 2015;Harris & Cudmore, 2015;Laws & Ward, 2011).…”